What is it to enjoy life when you are young? — YouTube from the CEC Library

What does it mean to make the most of life when you are young? I believe we take from our mind only what we place in it. Youth is a crucial phase, because we have a lot of energy and can begin an intense search for knowledge and experiences. However, nowadays, we distance ourselves from personal relationships; the main lesson of our lives is to get closer to ourselves. We are closer to technology, which is important, but it should be used with common sense.

Otherwise, technology can separate families. Television, for example, often distances us from family life: we start watching in isolation, losing precious moments of interaction. In addition, the content consumed, frequently violent or sexualized, feeds fear instead of promoting stability and coherence.

A striking episode in my life illustrates this question. When I was young, my father, who liked to play chess, taught me about the game. He said that I would only win if I managed to foresee 17 moves ahead. At the time, this seemed impossible, because even the great chess players foresaw at most 4 or 5 moves. One day, I questioned my father about this, and he explained to me that, during the war, he played chess on an improvised board, drawn on cardboard, with the pieces also drawn on it. He decided to try to foresee 100 moves, writing down each possibility in a notebook.

He played against himself, which was challenging, because he knew his own thoughts and strategies. My father spent more than two and a half years on that game, writing down every move so as not to lose his progress. He sought to defeat himself, which led him to foresee 17 moves. That experience, which seemed excessive, taught him a great deal about strategy and self-knowledge. He revealed that only my mother knew about this story, because she watched him during that process. That dedication and search for self-discovery are examples of how we can make the most of life in a meaningful way, even in the midst of challenges.

My mother watched him and would say, "I cannot believe you are doing this again," referring to the fact that he played chess every day. This created in him a need and an obsession: on coming home from work, the first thing he wanted to do was play, thinking of a different strategy for a situation that is the same for all chess players. He would sit down to check whether that would not cause problems. The idea of thinking 17 moves ahead was something he always mentioned.

One day, during a critical game, I was about to deliver a checkmate. He said, "Now let us make our great victory." I questioned, "What do you mean, ours?" He answered, "I will show you, my son." He moved a piece and the game ended in a draw. I said, "Father, there is no way to play." He explained, "Now you know what 17 moves ahead means. There is no victory, but rather improvement in the heart. That is what you should achieve. I did something with you that you may need to do in your life." I reflected on not having achieved the checkmate, and he suggested that I think about it calmly in order to understand.

Over time, I understood the importance of making the most of life when young. It is essential to study a great deal, even with difficulties. To watch things that add something, despite the energy of that age. To do good, to see one's neighbor, even when feeling anger. To take care of hurts and hatreds. This review is crucial, but many discover late—or never discover—why they came here.

We should make the most of life to the point of being our own masters, a sun, not a moon. We can do anything, but with great effort. Improving everything in us as consciousnesses is what matters, not money or possessions. Make the most of what life offers, and in the end, even with little, like Gandhi, who had only a loincloth, say, "I took part in my own life and I did my best in this reincarnation." Life is a total success if we place the focus correctly.